The present invention relates to the field of decorative candleholders and display devices; particularly, to a device for conveniently and interchangeably displaying articles within a decorative candleholder.
Over the years, various attempts have been made to combine the warmth and atmosphere of candle lighting with artwork displays. Candlelight is richer in red, yellow, and orange colors than most incandescent light, and imparts a warm and flickering illumination that enhances various forms of art.
In some embodiments, candles have been used to backlight translucent art images. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 1,660,760 to Murphy, wherein a thin layer of religious imagery or inscriptions is made on the wall of a candle containing holder. As the candle tends to burn downward, increasing amounts of devotional imagery or inscription are revealed through a translucent or semi-transparent outer layer.
In a later version of a similar concept, a translucent layer overlaid upon an inner layer adjacent to a flame gives an image the appearance of movement as the candle layer burns downward, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,729 to Frazier, Jr. Further refinements include a reflective layer behind the source of illumination so as to project an image, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,333 to Kwiatkowski. This concept, that of the candle light passing through a display material from behind, was adapted to shine light through a plurality of gelatinous structures in the wall of the candle holding device by Freeman, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,512. Attempts have been made to combine other three-dimensional art displays with integral candles. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,278 to Young, et al., in which a sealed translucent shell contains glass beads and surround an inner candle. The light of the candle is transmitted through the sealed translucent layer and provides pleasing reflections when refracted through the beads within the enclosure. The disadvantage of this system, as with many of the others noted above, is that the display is limited to those pre-elected in the manufacture of the device, which cannot be altered by the end user.
A different type of embodiment acts to place a flat, two-dimensional image on the outside of a candle holding device, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,783 to Nevin, et al., where unlike the above mentioned embodiments, the artistic effect comes from the light shining on the outside of a display, rather than through a display. In the ""783 patent, a thin, two-dimensional card is placed in an outside layer surrounding a candleholder. Such a display suffers from the disadvantages of firstly being limited to two-dimensional displays, and secondarily, to being limited as to the types of artwork that might be displayed, being apparently limited to those cards prepared and marketed by the inventors, or at least those which precisely fit the space intended in both height and thickness. A variation on this theme is that of providing cloisonnxc3xa9 art displays on the outside candleholder, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,756, in which a fixed outer display may be applied to various containers, including a candleholder.
Other attempts to combine art display with candles include those in which a candle illuminates an external art object in proximity to a candle, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,527 to Adams, et al. In the ""527 patent, a candleholder illuminates an adjacent angelic device. This invention is limited in that the only art which may be combined with the candle is that provided by the inventors as part of the device.
Many persons are actively pursuing artistic creation in such textured, or three-dimensional art as needlework, dried flowers, seashells, or similar three-dimensional objects. They seek to combine their own artistic creations in displays along with the traditional lighting afforded by candles, but present candle-lit display devices have not allowed for this. An optimal solution is a candleholder that is adaptable to a plurality of candle shapes and sizes, allows for display of three-dimensional objects of varying shapes and thickness, allows for the artist or person arranging the display to easily interchange the artwork, without removing the candle and while keeping the artwork protected from dust and other elements while it is on display. The candleholder needs to be rugged, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture. The instant invention addresses many of the shortcomings of the prior art and allows for all the heretofore unavailable benefits.
In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior devices in new and novel ways. In its most general sense, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art in any of a number of generally effective configurations.
In one of the many preferable configurations, the decorative candleholder and display incorporates, among other elements, a display, a display article, a cap, and a base. The decorative candleholder and display apparatus is adapted to secure a candle, having a flame, and display a plurality of items in an internal cavity.
The display has an inner wall and an outer wall. The inner wall has an inner wall bottom edge, an inner wall top edge, and an inner wall periphery. Similarly, the outer wall has an outer wall bottom edge and an outer wall top edge. The inner wall is located within the outer wall thereby defining a display region therebetween. A three-dimensional display article may be inserted into the display region. Display regions of varying sizes may be formed by varying the dimensions of the inner wall and the outer wall. Various sizes of display regions accommodate a wide range of display articles including relatively thin articles such as photos, drawings, or needlework, or relatively thick articles such as dried flowers, seashells, quilting, and other three-dimensional articles.
The configuration of the inner wall and the outer wall may vary. For example, the walls may be circular, triangular, square, rectangular, or any polygon. Additionally, the inner wall and outer wall do not need to be the same shape.
A cap releasably engages the outer wall top edge and the inner wall top edge thereby enclosing the display region at the top edge of the walls, and a base that engages the outer wall bottom edge and the inner wall bottom edge thereby enclosing the display region at the bottom of the walls. The base may include a rotational mount allowing the decorative candleholder and display to rotate 360 degrees facilitating viewing of the entire display. Similarly, the interface between the outer and inner wall bottom edges and the base may incorporate rotational interface allowing the display to rotate 360 degrees while the base, and therefore the candle, remains stationary.
In one of many variations of the present invention, the cap further extends across the periphery of the inner wall thereby forming an integral cap and candleholder. The integral cap and candleholder may extend across the periphery of the inner wall at any point between the inner wall top edge and the inner wall bottom edge accommodating candles of varying heights.
Alternatively, the decorative candleholder and display may include a height adjustment system to raise and lower a candle support. Raising and lowering the candle support allows the elevation of the candle and the flame to be adjusted. The candle support has a support periphery that lies within the inner wall periphery.
In one variation, the height adjustment system may include a telescoping post attached to the candle support at a distal end and attached to the base at a proximal end. The telescoping post may include any number of variations. In one such variation the telescoping post includes two threadedly engagable sections wherein the height of the candle support is adjusted by threading a male threaded section into a female threaded section. In this case, either section may be secured to the candle support so that support elevation may be adjusted simply by rotating the candle support. Alternative variations of the telescoping post include mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic variations including those whereby the height of the candle support may be adjusted via an activation source in the base.
In a further variation of the height adjustment system, the inner wall is formed with a plurality of inner wall engagement shelves. Further, a plurality of adjustable engagement devices are attached to the support periphery and are received by the inner wall engagement shelves. Each of the adjustable engagement devices may include a bendable thumb-grip member which, when bent from an engagement position to a movement position, allows height adjustment of the candle support.
In yet another variation, the base may be formed to extend upward, toward the inner wall top edge, to a predetermined elevation within the inner wall periphery to form an elevated base candle support. The predetermined elevation may be designed to complement standard candle sizes such that a preferred flame elevation is maintained when the candle is at a predetermined state of consumption.
Alternatively, a preferred flame elevation may be maintained using a flame elevation maintenance device. In one such variation, the flame elevation maintenance device may include a candle sleeve releasably mounted to the base and formed to define a hollow region for housing the candle and a candle compression device. The candle compression device acts to force the candle against the candle sleeve such that as the candle melts, the compression device expands thereby forcing the candle against the sleeve and maintaining the flame at a preferred flame elevation. The candle compression device may be as simple as a spring, or may include various mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic variations.
The size of candle sleeve and compression device may vary to accommodate the dimensions of any number of candles. An additional benefit of this variation of the flame elevation maintenance device is that the candle is confined within the candle sleeve and is less likely to tip over and ignite the display than a freestanding candle. The candle sleeve may be secured to the base in any number of ways. One example includes a plurality of sleeve retainers releasably mounted to the base that releasably secure the candle sleeve. As such, the sleeve retainers may secure the candle sleeve in a quick-connect quarter turn type fashion. Additionally, the sleeve retainers may secure to the base in a plurality of locations. For example, the base may include a number of engagement positions arranged in various diameters wherein the sleeve retainers may be secured. Such a configuration may facilitate interchangability of numerous candle sleeves of varying dimensions with a single decorative candleholder and display.
The flame elevation maintenance device may maintain the flame at virtually any elevation. In one particular embodiment, the flame is maintained above the inner wall top edge for a desired lighting and display effect.
These variations, modifications, alternatives, and alterations of the various preferred embodiments, arrangements, and configurations may be used alone or in combination with one another as will become more readily apparent to those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings.